According a new article published by the New Scientist on Monday, a new group of enzymes have been found that effectively remove the cellular antigens that are the basis for blood typing. In easy words, they turn any blood type to Type O, which anyone can receive.

Sure this is not going to solve the problem faced in health care due to a lack of blood and blood products, but it should make an impact. The arena where this will probably be seen the most will be in the field of trauma resuscitation where it is not uncommon to burn through tens of units of blood, if not more, in a trauma situation. I think the most blood I've been on-hand to see given when in an ICU as a student where we gave 6 units of PRBCs plus a six-pack of platelets during the 6 hours I was on the unit...which really is nothing. Most I gave in a shift was only 3 units, over a whole 12 hour shift.

The other flip side is that it does nothing to address problems of plasma and platelets, two other common forms of blood products typically given in the in-hospital setting. But, it is progress.

Who am I?

Wanderer

Big City in the, Northwest, United States

This is the story of a new nurse navigating the road to success and competency on the floor of a cardiology unit at a large metro hospital. It is about successes, failures and the realization that this is for real. I moved cross-country, out of the warmth of SW to the rain-soaked paradise of the Great Northwest, back home, back to my roots. I packed up my wife, 2 crazy cats and all of our worldly belongings into a 16 foot UHaul, all to start anew. This is my story. And I'm sticking to it.

A Legal Note of Sorts

I'm no lawyer, have only the most rudimentary understanding of the wonderful morass that is HIPAA. That said, I make every attempt to ensure the privacy of my patients, my coworkers and institution I work for. Patient information is sanitized and altered to ensure this. I could be writing about you and you would never know. Views expressed in this blog in no way represent those of my employer or any other organization. Happy reading!

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